Scholarships for medical students

“Now more than ever we need your talent, your energy, your resolve and your character.”

Anthony S. Fauci

If you are considering applying to medical school this year or next, you are in more company than usual. Some people are calling this the “Fauci effect.” The unprecedented Covid-19 crisis in the US has highlighted the acute need for medical personnel like never before —  and a career as a doctor is, of course, well-paid and highly regarded.

However, with applications up nearly 20% in the past twelve months, even highly capable prospective medical students with top MCAT scores are struggling to access oversubscribed courses — especially at large, city-based universities. Students who may have been selected for scholarships in previous years are being edged out by greater competition. That’s why more and more lateral thinkers are applying for places at smaller accredited schools like the Medical University of the Americas (MUA).

What could you gain from a funded place at MUA?

Working for a medical degree  at MUA will entitle you to some of the most attentive learning experiences you could hope for with intimate faculty-to-student ratios. Packed lecture halls and over-stretched medical faculty are simply not a feature of this highly focused environment. Located on one of the Caribbean’s quietest islands, serious students are perfectly placed to devote their time to study rather than to big city, busy campus distractions.

Becoming a doctor is a difficult path, and we know the difference that personalized teaching makes when you are learning. It’s for this reason that we believe in keeping the ratio of medical students to faculty so intimate. With one faculty member per seven students, we can offer you virtually unparalleled attention as you learn the unique details of medical science. There are few other scholarship places that can offer you this level of dedicated teaching 

Whether you are considering family medicine, internal medicine, or another specialty, the MUA environment gives you space to breathe and study. That’s why MUA has a 95% first time USMLE pass rate. Since 2001, 88% of graduates seeking residencies have secured positions in the U.S. and Canada.  We have over 20 years of experience supporting our prospective doctors to study and train, and we are proud to offer this outstanding opportunity to learn medicine  in a beautiful, calm environment.

Use these top tips for gaining scholarship funding

Apply for MUA funding

Grants are available for future doctors based on both performance and need. Up to $90,000 of funding is available for students with an exceptional GPA or MCAT score and an outstanding application. By applying to MUA, you are more likely to gain a funded place than you will be at other big city-based universities where increasing competition is making it harder even for the most gifted future doctors.

Be specific about the scholarships you search for

Most applicants conduct fairly general scholarship research. Your competitors are also going to be searching for ‘medical degree scholarships.’ Think about what makes you unique.. Funding is often more niche than you first expect — and there could be organizations out there committed to increasing the representation of disability, gender, faith, or ethnicity in medicine that might consider a funding application.

If you are an exceptional student who could bring greater diversity to the medical profession, then do not hide this when you apply. You could attract a scholarship from a specific organization or even improve your chances of an MUA scholarship. Remember that everybody will have had a similar level of education to you, so it is crucial to think about what makes you stand out from the crowd.

Consider military service

There are potentially comprehensive federal loans for US students if you commit to working in the military for the first part of your doctor’s career. While this path can be challenging, think about the potential rewards of training without debt and the access you could have to a university place that other applicants are fighting over.

The experience you could gain in the context of active military duty could put you on a priority path later on, as medical military service is viewed with a high level of respect. It could be a decision that frees you from debt and opens up opportunities for the rest of your career in medicine.

Consider working in an underserved community

Like funded training for military doctors, you could be entitled to a scholarship if you commit to working in a rural or underserved location as your first residency. There are thousands of places all over the USA that are in critical need of qualified doctors. Because they do not have the ‘allure’ of big city roles, communities in great need are left without the first-rate doctors they deserve. It’s a national problem, and that’s why you can apply for funding in the same way military doctors can.

This type of commitment and experience could prove invaluable in the first few years that you work as a doctor, leading to greater opportunities later down the line.

Come up with your own ideas

With increased competition, busy city universities will be reading ever greater numbers of similar applications. The medical experience you arranged for yourself that could have given you the edge a few years ago may now fade into the background. Medicine is a science — but it is also an art. Creative thinkers who show real individuality and clarity of purpose in their applications will seize those scholarship places. While searching for good examples of what others have done can be extremely helpful, if it is easy to find online, then others are also looking at it and using the same ideas.

What exceptional activity do you have the capacity to accomplish? How can you make sure your experience is unique? What original thinking can you apply to an issue of medical access or opportunity? MUA is searching for future doctors who can think in this way to apply as soon as possible.

Get the medical training you deserve at MUA

Being one of the hundreds of competent students competing for attention in a packed lecture hall is no way to begin your training. This type of oversaturation is just not a feature of our approach at MUA. The combination of a peaceful learning environment and our precision focus on quality teaching could make your medical training a happier and easier experience than elsewhere. We know training is tough, so we see no need to make it any harder than it should be.